35WCF- What if any choices?

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450yukon

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I've had this '95 stuck in the back row for about 20 yrs now. I bought it with full knowledge that the chamber was ratched, dies, a couple boxes of bullets, 60 cases if I remember correctly, and I didn't pay a lot for it. The rifling looks to be in excellent shape but the chamber has been dug at with screwdrivers and who knows what else! I was brave back then and did fire it once, then a dowel and a tree were the tools to get the action open. I haven't been able to get a clear picture of inside the chamber to show the damage or the -what looks like an attempt with Acu-glass to smooth it out. My question is , can this be fixed by 1) sleeving the chamber,2) setting back the barrel or am I looking at a semi-fancy buttstock,forearm and some 35wcf cases? Any suggestions?
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If that were my rifle and the bore is as good as you say, I would have a smith set it back just enough to cut a new chamber. Five mm or so would hardly be noticeable. That is a very nice rifle IMHO. Saving it to pass it on is well worth the $200 or so to have it done properly. One of the mods is a smith on this site. Tiriaq. He knows these old girls very well and likely has a reamer.

Guntech also does great work and is a member on this site. I have seen some of his work and it's commendable.


They quit making the 35 WCF during the mid 1930s. Proper brass can be difficult to find. I believe it gave over 2500 fps with 200grn bullets. Good enough for anything in your neck of the woods.
 
I would have a smith check it out to see if you can set the barrel back, failing that I would get a new barrel. Bearhunter has given two good options for getting it checked out or at least talk to those guys.
 
I would first try to smooth out the rough edges of the scratches/grooves (not fill them), and see what improvements in extraction result. This is a rimmed cartridge, so headspace will not be affected.
 
I would reline the barrel . That would solve your chamber problem , ensure the rifling is new
& leave the outside of the barrel correct. ALL good inside & out , plus original looking .
If you replace the barrel or set it back the value drops .
I have had several "Old Girls" relined . ,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Frank
 
Anything done to it will destroy the collector value, including relining or setting back the barrel. If at all possible Andy's is the best solution, but I took it that the chamber is utterly screwed. I have a 95 in 35 WCF and it is an amazing cartridge for the age of it. Right on the heels of a 358 Win, mine shoots exceptionally well with 220 Speer flat points and I can pretty much hit a pop can out to 200 mtrs with it most of the time. It is an impressive rifle/cartridge combo. I would not feel undergunned hunting moose or elk with it inside a couple hundred yards.
Another possibility that would make for easier brass acquisition and that would be a 35-405 wildcat. One could size and load with 350 RM dies I suppose and it should be just enough bigger to clean up the chamber. The extractor will work just fine as will the rim thickness and head space............160 bucks for the price of a reamer and some 350 RM dies and she's a top shooter again.
Or one could have it bored and chambered to a 405.........that is another possibility for a reasonable dollar.

I have an old flat side action that I decided to build a 9.3-405 on. Made up a dummy cartridge and it looks awesome..........gonna call it the 36 WCF. It is some where on my long list of sh!t I wanna do................
 
the above post* If you want to shoot it, take to a GOOD GUNSMITH
If you want to keep the collector value, don't mess with it , but don't shoot it.
 
marshall said:
the above post* If you want to shoot it, take to a GOOD GUNSMITH
If you want to keep the collector value, don't mess with it , but don't shoot it.
Click to expand...

I guess that's why it's sat along with some other 20 yr old someday projects. Like the 375/44mag that I've had the octagon barrel, the Marlin 94,
3x wood from Wenigs when they were still around, dies and a custom .375-210grfn sitting for 20 years. Sometimes guns,women and divorces don't go hand in hand!

What collector value would it have in it's present state? I wouldn't sell it without full disclosure.
I would like to try to keep as original as possible, 35/405 could be an alternative as I already have a .405, off to work for a week and will try to get pic's of the fired cases when I get home, but they were pretty pock-marked from memory.
 
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As C- states any mods to the barrel will be detrimental to "collector resale". The one way to retain collector status and make it a shooter for your own use is to re-barrel (carefully removing the old so as to not "mark") to a caliber of your choice that will still feed and keep the old barrel to be re-installed for collector sales. Basically the new barrel will be a "price" saw-off to down value from modification.
 
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